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Recruitment & HR

Over half of employers admit to ghosting job applicants – CV Genius

The report found that 23% of employers said they had no problem ghosting candidates and 44% said they were unlikely to ghost someone.

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Over half of employers admit to ghosting job applicants – CV Genius
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Up to 56% of UK employers ghosted job applicants during the recruitment process, according to research from CV Genius.

The Employer Ghosting Report looked at why communication is breaking down and how this is affecting candidates. 

CV Genius polled 625 hiring managers and found 33% said they were likely to break contact, 23% said they had no problem ghosting candidates and 44% said they were unlikely to ghost someone.

Geoffrey Scott, senior hiring manager at Resume Genius, said: “No hiring manager enjoys rejecting a candidate, especially when that candidate clearly took the time to research the company, tailor their application to the role, or even had a strong skill-set but just didn’t quite have the right professional background. 

“As the connecting force between a company and potential employees, we have a responsibility to treat candidates with the same professionalism and respect we expect from them during the hiring process.”

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In a separate survey of UK job seekers, 86% of those who had been ghosted said they felt down or depressed, and 17% said it left them severely depressed.

Seb Morgan, careers expert at CV Genius, said: “You’re not hearing back from an employer likely because the job you applied for never existed to begin with. 

“Some companies post ghost jobs to gauge salary expectations, create the illusion of growth, or gather CVs for future opportunities. 

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“Be wary of openings that have been live for more than a month and job descriptions that lack detail and specificity.”

Research also found that 61% of gen Z and millennial hiring managers said they were more likely to ghost applicants, compared to older hiring managers. 

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36% of gen Z and millennial hiring managers said they would likely ghost unsuccessful candidates, while 23% of gen X and boomer hiring managers said the same.

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Scott added: “There’s a generational gap when it comes to how we communicate with friends, families, and even strangers. 

“These preferences play out in the hiring process, and it’s ultimately much easier to ghost someone who you’ve only ever messaged or emailed than it is for someone you met in person or talked to over the phone.”

The research found gen Z hiring managers were 67% more likely than other generations to bin a job application if they spotted a red flag.

Another factor was the use of applicant tracking systems. 71% of hiring managers said they used applicant tracking system (ATS) software to screen CVs before a person reviews them. 

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Scott said: “When you have a bunch of CVs on your desk and hiring isn’t your full-time job, it’s not feasible to manually comb through every application.”

“Applicants often assume the hiring manager is the only person between them and the job, but that’s rarely the case. 

“Senior management, department heads, and even HR or accounting can influence and delay the hiring process, and sometimes applicants are left in the dark.”

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